


Bedtime Stories

by DivineVarod



Category: Red Dwarf
Genre: Bedtime Stories, Cutesy, Gen, Mushy, Parent-Child Relationship, Ugly Duckling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-05-17 06:08:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5857114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineVarod/pseuds/DivineVarod
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lister is startled to find he missed out on feeding time for his twins. Discovering who stepped in for him surprises him even more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bedtime Stories

Dave Lister woke up with a start; “4AM??” Why did no-one wake him? He always gave Jim and Bexley a feed and a cuddle at three! The Scouser quickly jumped from his bunk and ran to the room they had converted into the nursery.  
  
He was about to burst in when suddenly something stopped him:  
  
A voice talking … No … reading.  
  
_“So it went on the first day, and after that things went from bad to worse. The poor duckling was chased and buffeted about by everyone. Even his own brothers and sisters abused him. "Oh," they would always say, "how we wish the cat would catch you, you ugly thing." And his mother said, "How I do wish you were miles away." The ducks nipped him, and the hens pecked him, and the girl who fed them kicked him with her foot.”_

It sounded like … No, it couldn't be! Could it?  
  
Lister peeked round the door and saw a Skutter, asleep next to two empty milk bottles. Softly he opened the door a little wider to find Arnold Rimmer sitting between Jim and Bexley in their big bedstead reading from a holo-book. His face was soft and the Hologram sounded contented, reading to the twins doing all the voices and allowing their little hands to grab at his lightbee.  
Lister smiled and quietly sank to the floor, he didn't have the heart to disturb them so waited. He heard Rimmer talk to the boys in a voice he had never heard before, it had kindness and sounded … happy. The boys giggled at the impressions he did and gasped at every twist and turn of the story.  
  
_“The lilacs dipped their clusters into the stream before him, and the sun shone so warm and so heartening. He rustled his feathers and held his slender neck high, as he cried out with full heart: "I never dreamed there could be so much happiness, when I was the ugly duckling."”_  
  
He heard Rimmer finish the story a little while later.  
  
Lister got up and entered the room. He felt sad when Rimmer immediately froze when he saw him come in. The eyes deadened and his face twisted back into it's customary sneer. The Hologram immediately stood up and swiftly stepped out of the bedstead, much to the disappointment of the boys.  
  
“Ah Listy.” Rimmer said, his tone a world away from the gentle voice Lister had heard reading to his children only moments ago. “As Holly and I were unable to rouse you for your parental obligations I felt it was my duty to step in.”  
  
“Thanks Rimmer, man.”  
  
“I'd say so. It's rather inconvenient to be woken up at three in the night to entertain the kids of a brain-dead baboon like some sort of hologramic Mary Poppins!”  
  
Lister sighed.  
  
“Yes Rimmer, sorry Rimmer …”  
  
“Good.”  
  
Rimmer was about to march of when he looked at the children again, his eyes misted a little.  
  
“Lister?”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Just so you know. You always make Jim's milk too hot and Bexley wants you to stop singing 'The Wheels of the Bus' every night. He prefers 'Puff the Magic Dragon'."  
  
Lister decided not to be surprised at Rimmer understanding toddler talk, so just went for a simple: “I'll remember that. Sorry for getting you up.”  
  
Rimmer nodded curtly.  
  
“Just don't let it happen again!”  
  
And with that he marched out.


End file.
